Beating a 30th-place team that’s mired in a six-game losing streak is supposed to be automatic.
Especially for a would-be contender coming off a nice win and trying to prove that its mid-season malaise was just temporary.
So, Edmonton Oilers versus Buffalo Sabres was supposed to be a lot like mouse versus trap.
Like skier versus tree. Like sumo wrestler versus cake.
Well, it turns out Monday night in Buffalo was a big night for traps, trees, cake and Sabres.
And not so good for an Oilers team that still can’t find its way back from mediocrity.
After mostly impressive wins over Montreal and Dallas, the Oilers (3-7-0 in their last 10) reverted back to some of their old habits in an inexcusable 3-2 loss to one of the lowliest teams in hockey.
Edmonton had four power plays and outshot the Sabres 32-23, not counting five goal posts, but it wasn’t good enough. They didn’t bear down on their chances, served up one too many opportunities the other way and got what they deserved.
The Sabres, who are about to miss the playoffs for the 14th season, never trailed, leading 1-0, 2-1 and finally 3-2.
“Turnovers,” sighed head coach Kris Knoblauch. “We controlled most of the play, we had a lot of time in the offensive zone, we had more chances, but it was the kind of mistakes we made.
“You look at the turnovers that led to scoring chances off the rush. We spent very little time in the defensive zone, but the puck management and giving chances off the rush was a big story tonight.”
Exhibit 1: Viktor Arvidsson mishandles a simple pass on the Buffalo half-wall, leading to a three-on-three the other way. Stuart Skinner gives up a bad rebound and neither Jake Walman nor Evan Bouchard picks up Tage Thompson, who makes it 1-0.
Exhibit 2: Zach Hyman sends a backhand pass from behind the net into the slot, where there are no Oilers. Buffalo heads the other way, three-on-three, but Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are slow on the back pressure and a fourth Sabre, Alex Tuch, has time and space to rip one under the bar and make it 2-1.
Exhibit 3: Vasily Podkolzin paints himself into a corner inside the offensive blue line and turns the puck over. It’s a race between Bouchard and two Sabres for the loose puck. Bouchard is soft and indecisive, allowing Josh Norris to set up Thompson for the winner.
It’s already the second week of March, so the Oilers should be past the point of video sessions to straighten this stuff out. But here they are.
“I don’t think video is going to matter,” said Knoblauch. “We’ve been talking about it a lot. It’s about guys executing, finding that it’s an important part of the game.
“It’s frustrating when some of the guys who aren’t contributing offensively are contributing to scoring chances against, which is really hurting us.
“It’s different if you’re making those plays and it’s leading to offence, once in a while you get caught. But, if you’re not creating that offence, and you’re giving up those chances, that’s what’s hurting the team.”
Offensively, the Oilers had more chances than they needed. Or should have needed, anyway. But two goals is never going to get it done.
It doesn’t matter how many looks you get — expected goals are for the analytics crew — what matters is how many the other guys have to fish out of the back of their net.
“They capitalized on their chances and we didn’t,” said defenceman Darnell Nurse, adding the only thing that matters at this time of the season are goals and wins.
“We’re at a point in the year where a lot of things are driven by results. On a night like this, our expectation is to come out, play our game and find a way to win and we didn’t do enough of that.”
On the bright side
Leon Draisaitl extended his consecutive-game points streak to a career-high 15 games with a second-period assist. He finally broke through his own glass ceiling after two 14-game streaks in his career (in 2019 and earlier this season).
Late hits
Bouchard, after going 59 games without a power play goal, now has two of them in the last five games… Jeff Skinner drew back into the lineup against his old team. He spent six years with the Sabres, with two 30-goal seasons and one 40-goal year… Former Oiler Ryan McLeod, who went the other way in a summer deal for Matt Savoie, has 14 goals and 20 assists with Sabres, both career highs. He set up the second Buffalo goal.
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